Laura Holly Aikman (born 24 December 1985) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Debbie in ''

Not Going Out ''Not Going Out'' is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006, and has 12 series making it the second longest running British sitcom (in series) behind the longest running sitcom worldwide, Last of the Summer Wine. It sta ...

'' and ''

Gavin and Stacey ''Gavin & Stacey'' is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, South Wales. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers ...

'' as Sonia.

Early life

Aikman was born in the

London Borough of Brent The London Borough of Brent () is a London boroughs, London borough in north-west London. It borders the boroughs of London Borough of Harrow, Harrow to the north-west, London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the north-east, London Borough of Camden ...

in 1985, the daughter of actor and writer Stuart Aikman (known as Stuart St. Paul) and actress Jean Heard. She attended

Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls Haberdashers' Girls' School is an independent day school in Elstree, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as "Habs" (or "Habs Girls" to distinguish it from the neighbouring Haberdashers' Boys' School). The school was founded in 1875 by the Wo ...

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

, Hertfordshire.

Career

In 2009, she appeared in the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

series ''

Personal Affairs ''Personal Affairs'' (also known as ''P.A's'') is a 2009 British television comedy-drama series, broadcast on BBC Three. It starred Annabel Scholey, Laura Aikman, Maimie McCoy and Ruth Negga as four City of London Personal Assistants looking fo ...

'' playing Lucy. On 8 August 2009, it was announced that Aikman would be joining the cast of ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', and her role as May Phelps started on 12 September 2009. Aikman appeared in 35 episodes, her final appearance aired on 8 May 2010. In 2012, Aikman starred alongside

Leigh Francis Leigh Izaak Francis (born 30 April 1973), known professionally as Keith Lemon, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for creating and starring in Channel 4's sketch comedy show ''Bo' Selecta!'' (200 ...

's alter ego

Keith Lemon Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

in his TV show ''

Lemon La Vida Loca ''Lemon La Vida Loca'' is a British mock reality show created and written by, and starring, comedian Leigh Francis and actress Laura Aikman. The show's title is derived from Ricky Martin's 1999 hit single, "Livin' la Vida Loca". The series foll ...

'' during the first series. She played the role of his Yorkshire girlfriend, Rosie. Aikman announced that she would not be returning to the show for the second series despite making an appearance in episode 1. In July 2014, it was announced that Aikman would be joining the cast of '' Waterloo Road'' for the tenth and final series as deputy headteacher Lorna Hutchinson. In 2014-15, Aikman had a leading role in the second and third series of ''

The Job Lot ''The Job Lot'' is a British sitcom. The series is set in a busy West Midlands Job Centre, and focuses on the relationships between the staff, and the job-seekers. The series was commissioned following a successful pilot, written by Claire Do ...

''. In 2018, Aikman joined 26 other celebrities at

Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Roa ...

, to perform an original Christmas song called "

Rock With Rudolph The Celebs are a celebrity supergroup created by Grahame and Jack Corbyn with the intention of raising money for charity. The group was formed in 2018 and consists of a changing mix of TV presenters, musicians, radio DJs, actors and sports perso ...

", which was written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was released in aid of

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...

and was released digitally on independent record label

Saga Entertainment Saga Entertainment is an independent record label, based in London, founded in 2017 by music producers Grahame and Jack Corbyn. Artists on the label include Sam Bailey, Bargain Hunt, Shona McGarty and the Celebs, a supergroup of celebrities in ...

on 30 November 2018 under the artist name

The Celebs The Celebs are a celebrity supergroup created by Grahame and Jack Corbyn with the intention of raising money for charity. The group was formed in 2018 and consists of a changing mix of TV presenters, musicians, radio DJs, actors and sports perso ...

. The music video debuted exclusively with ''The Sun'' on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on ''Good Morning Britain'' on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.

Personal life

Aikman is married to fellow actor Matt Kennard. Aikman volunteered with Shout 85258, providing mental health support throughout 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

* Princess Catherine in ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

.'' * Rebecca Foley in ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the co ...

.'' * Connie Batsford in ''Bus''. * Blousie Brown in ''

Bugsy Malone ''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actors ...

'' (musical).

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aikman, Laura 1985 births Living people People educated at Haberdashers' Girls' School 21st-century English actresses English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses People from the London Borough of Brent